Jordan hit with fine for labor comments

Michael Jordan spent a total of 12 years with the Chicago Bulls during two spells.

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Michael Jordan has been hit with a fine by the NBA

The Charlotte Bobcats owner broke league rules regarding the current labor dispute

The NBA has been in lockout since the start of July

Charlotte Bobcats owner and NBA legend Michael Jordan has been hit with a fine by the league for comments he made about the collective bargaining agreement which is currently under discussion.

The NBA has been in lockout since July when the last collective bargaining agreement, a contract between the teams and the players association which outlines the rules regarding NBA star's pay, expired.

The current dispute is centered around the average salary which should be earned by players over the term of their contract.

Jordan, a six-time NBA champion and 14-time All Star as a player, broke league rules which prohibit the discussion of players or labor negotiations during the lockout in an interview with Australian newspaper The Herald Sun last month.

The Hall of Famer described the current situation as "broken" and called for revenue to be shared more evenly between the NBA's 30 franchises. In addition, the 48-year-old also commented on Milwaukee Bucks center Andrew Bogut.

"The model we've been operating under is broken," Jordan told The Herald Sun in August. "We have 22 or 23 teams losing money, I think we have got to come to some kind of understanding in this partnership that we have to realign.

"I know the owners are not going to move off what we feel is very necessary for us to get a deal in place where we can co-exist as partners. We need a lot of financial support throughout the league as well as revenue sharing to keep this business afloat.

"We have stars like Bogut who are entitled to certain type of demands. But for us to be profitable in small markets, we have to be able to win ballgames and build a better basketball team."

Bogut, 26, turned pro in 2005 and has been with the Bucks for the whole six years of his NBA career to date.

Talks between the league and the players' union will recommence on Tuesday, with a string of meetings in Manhattan, Dallas and Las Vegas.

As a result of the lockout, NBA players have turned their attention to Europe in an attempt to play competitive basketball.

New Jersey Nets guard Deron Williams has signed a one-year deal with Turkish outfit Besiktas which will allow him to return to the U.S. once action resumes.

Another player to have headed abroad is 25-year-old Sonny Weems, who has joined Lithuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas having played for the Toronto Raptors last season.